Cathie Crossin has been the owner – bottle washer – and cook at Tastee’s for as long as I can remember. However, this winter she has found a family to take it over this spring.
Cathie, now that you have sold Tastee’s, I assume that your life will change drastically?
Once spring and summer arrive I’m sure I’ll notice it. I won’t miss working seven days a week behind the counter. Now I’ll have freedom to go places and spend more time with my kids, especially in the summer. I might even see Clear Lake more than once in a decade now!
Can you disclose the new owners names, and any plans they have?
That’s up to them to announce when the time is right. I can tell you that they are a lovely family and they hope to continue on as we did before. I will be helping them get set up in the Spring.
We have talked about the struggles over the years of being a small business owner, what advice can you give people?
Treat your service people well and pay them promptly. If your air conditioning goes down you and it’s 30 Celsius, or a vital piece of equipment breaks, you want to give the repair guy every reason to rush over and help you out.
And I want to tell people to act. If there’s a problem or gap in the community, and you know you can help, please do. One of the things I was most proud of was leading a team that wasn’t afraid to act. When Samaritan House said their cupboards were bare… we acted. We held a spontaneous fundraiser on a busy Sunday where we gave out free ice cream cones in exchange for pasta and soup donations. It was amazing! Really, it was nothing more than a group of enthusiastic teens, supported by their boss to help people. Thanks to social media and our community we raised more than 3 van loads of food in one day. When you have a business, I feel like you have an opportunity and an obligation to contribute to your community.
What are you going to miss the most and what won’t you miss?
It’s the same thing actually. The great people that were our employees and our customers, I’ll miss them because I won’t see them at work, BUT I also won’t have to miss them because they’re still our friends in “real life.” Brandon is great that way.
I will miss also the opportunities I had to promote Brandon and talk about our community. When Tastee’s was mentioned as a stop on the Great Canadian Road Trip (Expedia.ca) or in CAA Magazine it gave us a chance to talk about Brandon and invite people to come see us. I liked that. More people should get to know Brandon.
What will you do with all you free time now?
Travel. I love to travel! Most recently I visited Ireland and Portugal. I’d love to go see more of Portugal, and maybe Spain too. I plan to work part time, and I’ll take on a few select projects. No new business for me anytime soon. I just want to enjoy my family and spend more time together.
We at BDNMB.CA will miss Cathie, and her passion, and wish her the best.
